


m a r t i a n a u t i c

by spectrefree



Category: Lego Ninjago, The Martian (2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spectrefree/pseuds/spectrefree
Summary: After being left behind on Mars by the rest of the evacuating crew after both had supposedly died during a sandstorm, Kai Smith, chemist, and Cole Brookestone, botanist, struggle to survive the unforgiving Acidalia Planitia, on planet Mars, with the few resources available to them until help arrives.
Relationships: Nya/Jay Walker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. Mission Abort

**Author's Note:**

> note:  
> Neither Ninjago nor The Martian belongs to me. If they did, let me tell you, haha they would not be in good hands (:  
> Nonetheless, enjoy✧・ﾟ:*

“How’s it, uh, lookin’ over there, Brookestone?”

“Well, Walker, I think you’ll be happy to hear that in... grid section 28, the particles are.. coarse, but in 29, they’re, uh, much finer, and they should be ideal for chem analysis.”

“Oh wow, did you guys hear that? Cole just discovered dirt,” Jay joked. “Should we alert the media?”

An eyeroll was earned from the black-suited martianaut at the blue-clad mechanic’s remark. “I’m sorry, what are you doing over there, Walker? Making sure the MAV is still upright?”

“Well I’d like you to know that visual inspection of the equipment is imperative for mission success, Brookestone,” Jay retorted, then added, “I would also like to report.. that the MAV is still upright.”

Cole breathed a laugh as Lloyd sighed. “Brookestone, you keep leaving your channel open, which leads to Walker responding, which leads to everyone else listening, which leads to us being annoyed.”

“Roger that. Jay, the captain would like you to please, uhh, shut your smart mouth,” Kai smirked from his side of the rover, receiving a wheeze of laughter from Jay’s end of the channel in response.

“We’d prefer to use a different adjective to describe Walker’s mouth,” Zane called from the Hab, sharing an amused look with Nya beside him.

Jay let out an exaggerated gasp. “Did Zane just insult me?!”

“Dr. Julien, and yes,” Kai corrected with a chuckle.

“Happy to turn the radios off from here, Commander,” Nya added in, “Just say the word.”

“Wait, Nya! Constant communication is the hallmark of-”

“Shut ‘em off, Nya.”

“NO-” was all Cole managed to get in before the radios screeched, and there was silence. He stood up from the bed and threw his hands in the air at Lloyd, who only walked by with an exaggerated shrug.

“I’m sorry you felt the need to get involved in the black and blue banter, Smith,” he joked as he walked over to the red martianaut.

“Apology accepted,” Kai grinned. “How many samples do we need, Commander?”

“Seven, a hundred grams each.”

A beeping from inside the Hab drew Nya’s attention from one computer to another as she sipped at her coffee. The screen read “EMERGENCY” in blinking orange letters over a virtual map of the area.

“We have a mission update, Storm Warning,” Nya informed Zane behind her, setting her mug on the counter. “Commander, you should probably come inside, you’re gonna wanna take a look at this.”

“What is it?” Lloyd asked, standing up from the coarse red sand.

“Storm Warning,” Nya replied.

“Yeah, I saw that in this morning’s briefing, we’ll be done before it arrives. It’ll be fine.”

“Yes, but it appears they’ve upgraded their estimate,” Zane said. “This storm is going to be a lot worse than previously suspected.”

“Walker, how’s it look?” Lloyd called to the westernmost martianaut. Jay let out a breath as he watched the clouds of dust roll over the hill.

“...Not that great.”

\-----

Nya glanced at the blinking mission status update at the bottom of the screen that read, “emergency, severe storm approaching, alert crew” with an exhale.  
“We’ll probably be in here for a while,” she sighed.

“Possibly the opposite, actually,” Zane corrected, worry dancing in his cerulean eyes. “1,300 kilometers in diameter, bearing 24.44 degrees...”

“Which would mean.. what exactly? What does that mean for us?”

“That’s tracking directly towards us,” Zane elaborated for Kai.

“Based on current escalation, the estimated force is.. just over 8,600 newtons, holy shit..”

“Holy shit is right, Lloyd,” Nya nodded grimly.

“Well, what’s the abort force?” Cole asked.

“7,500.”

There was a sharp momentary silence that swept through the crew.

“Anything more than that and the MAV could tip,” Jay added through the radio, his honey eyes nervously flicking from the rocket that towered above him to the dark approaching storm that loomed ominously over the plateau. Blue flashes of lightning flickered dangerously among the clouds.

Kai glanced at Lloyd. “What should we do?”

Lloyd released an exhale, crossing his arms.  
“Begin the abort procedure.”

“I-I mean, we are estimating with a margin of error, we.. I mean, we could wait it out,” Kai offered.

“Let’s wait it out.” Lloyd glanced Cole’s direction at the sound of his voice. The noiret’s eyes flickered with a hint of doubt as the lights flickered slightly, but still repeated, “..Let’s wait it out.”

“....Commander?” Nya breathed.

“...Prep emergency departure,” Lloyd commanded, coming to a final decision.

“Commander-” Kai called as Lloyd left to retrieve his helmet.

“We’re aborting the mission, that’s an order.”

Outside, once the command was given Jay wasted no time in readying the MAV. Hitting a button released the hatch, and a ladder slid down.

“Walker, how long before takeoff?” Lloyd radioed.

“Twelve minutes at the very least.”

In the Hab, Lloyd addressed his now-suited crew, his heart thudding in his ears as he depressurized the airlock. “Visibility’s almost zero. If anyone gets lost, home in on my suit’s telemetry. You guys ready?”  
With several words of affirmation from the crew behind him, Lloyd inhaled, and pulled the door open. The unexpected force of the wind and sand that blew in almost knocked the group over.

“Commander?! Are you okay?!” Kai called.

“Yeah.. Yeah, I’m okay!” Lloyd responded, his hand against the doorframe to stay upright. One by one, the group filed out of the airlock and into the darkness of the storm. Their only means of visibility was the bright LEDs attached to their helmets, but even that did little to help against the dark sand that hurled against their bodies.

Cole was the last one to leave. Even with his strength, he struggled to pull the Hab airlock shut, as the wind was against him. When he managed, the group had only made so much progress. Meter by meter they approached the MAV.

“Commander, we’re at 10 degrees, and the MAV is gonna tip at 12.3,” Jay announced.

“HEY!” Kai yelled, raising his voice to be heard over the howls of the storm. “WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO KEEP THE MAV FROM TIPPING.”

“HOW?” Lloyd called back.

“USE THE CABLES FROM THE COMMS MAST AS GUY-LINES, ANCHOR IT WITH THE ROVER’S- COLE, WATCH OUT!”

From the dark clouds of black swirling pellets, a piece of large equipment collided into the martianauts behind Nya, Lloyd, and Zane, and they could only watch, eyes wide in mortification as both vanished into the storm, a scream filling the call before it was cut completely.

“KAI, COLE!” they cried.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING OUT THERE, GUYS?!” Jay called, an automated voice in the MAV announcing, “Warning: suit breach detected.”

“What happened?!” Lloyd demanded.

“THEY WERE HIT,” Nya yelled.

"BROOKESTONE, SMITH, REPORT!”

“Before we lost the telemetry, Cole’s decompression alarm went off!” Zane called.

“Where did you last see them, Nya?!”

“RIGHT HERE, I DONT KNOW WHERE THEY ARE...”

“What are the vitals on his suit?!”

“Both of them are offline!”

“We have a complete loss of signal on Brookestone and Smith!”

“Zane! How long can he.. survive decompression?”

“Less than a minute!”

“Line up!” Lloyd commanded. The crew complied. “Shuffle west. They may be prone, we don’t wanna step over them.”

“Commander?” Jay called. “We’re at 10.5 degrees.”  
 _“Excessive tilting.”_  
“Tilting to 11.. with all the gusts of wind.”

“Copy that! Everyone, hone in on Walker’s suit! It’ll get you to the airlock. Get in, prep for launch!”

“What about you, Lloyd?!” Nya yelled.

“I’m gonna search a little longer. Get moving, guys! Go!”

Reluctantly, the other two turned and started toward the MAV.

“KAI, COLE!” Lloyd yelled to the storm. “C’MON GUYS, REPORT!”

“The MAV’s at 11.6 degrees,” said Jay. “One good gust and we’re tipping.”

“If it tips, you launch!”

“You really think we’re gonna leave you behind?!”

“That’s an order, Walker!”

Slowly, Zane and Nya arrived at the rocket and clambered aboard, the calls of Lloyd to the missing black and red martianauts echoing behind them.

“Walker, what about the proximity radar?!” Lloyd yelled. “Could that detect Brookestone’s suit?!”

“It’s made to see the Hermes from Orbit,” Zane replied, “not a small piece of metal from a single suit!”

“Give it a try!”

“Roger,” Jay responded, powering it up as the other three climbed in behind him.

“What’s he thinking?! He knows infrared can’t get through a sand storm!” Nya called with a glance at Zane.

“He’s grasping for anything,” Zane said.

“We’ve got negative contact on the proximity radar,” Jay informed, unsurprisingly.

“Nothing?!”

“No. I can hardly even see the Hab!”

“..Commander?” Zane choked out after a moment. “Lloyd, I know you don’t wanna hear this but... Cole and Kai are.. dead.”

Lloyd stopped shuffling and stood up straight, his eyes blurring with tears that only worsened his visibility. He thought he was gonna be sick.

“Hey,” Jay glanced at the white martianaut. “Hey, what the hell, Zane?!”

“Two of my brothers just died, I don’t want my commander to die too.”

“Stability warning.”

“We’re tipping!” Nya called out in alarm. “Commander, you need to get back to the ship, now!”

“13 degrees!”

“If we pass balance, we’ll never rock back.”

“I’ve got one more trick left, and then I’m following orders, Commander.” Flipping a few switches, gas-fueled flames fired out of the side of the MAV, the force effectively halting the tipping of the rocket.

“You’re firing the OMS?!”

Jay glanced at Nya out of the corner of his eye. “That’s right.”

“COMMANDER!” Zane called.

"On my way!”

Lloyd hurried to the MAV, staggering against the gusts. As Lloyd took the first step up the ladder, he couldn’t help but glance behind him, his heart wrenching as he stared into the grainy blackness of the sandstorm. “Guys...”  
With a sharp inhale, he tore his eyes turned away from the darkness behind him and began climbing as the ladder pulled up.

“We’re at 11.5 and holding,” Jay informed as the hatch shut behind Lloyd. “Ready to go on your command,” he said as Lloyd buckled himself in beside him. “Ready to launch.”

Lloyd took in several deep breaths, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill down his flushed cheeks.

“Commander.” Jay glanced at him. “I need you to verbally tell me whether or not to.”

“..Launch.”

With that, Jay initiated the launch, and the rocket lifted off the planet’s surface. The martianauts’ seats leaned back as they rose further into the atmosphere. A somber mood passed over the martianauts.  
As they lifted above the storm, the light that filtered in through the small windows illuminated two empty seats, and Lloyd could only shut his eyes to keep the tears in. Not even the roar of the rocket could block out the single thought that resonated in his mind: 'It should have been me.'

\---------------------------

“At around 4:30 a.m. Central Standard Time, our Martian satellites detected a sandstorm approaching the VestaIII mission site on Mars. At 6:45, the storm had escalated to severe, and we had no choice but to abort the mission.

“Thanks to the quick action of Commander Lloyd, astronauts Zane, Nya and Jay were all able to reach the Mars Ascent Vehicle and perform an emergency launch at 7:28 Central Time.

“Unfortunately, during the evacuation, astronauts Cole Brookestone and Kai Smith were struck by debris and killed. Commander Lloyd and the rest of his team were able to intercept safely with the Wayfarer and are now headed home. But Kai Smith and Cole Brookestone.. are dead.”


	2. Like A Bandaid.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai and Cole are alive, but not so much unharmed.

**SLIGHT GORE WARNING**

  
  


Mars was.. one big unforgiving desert. A massive red wasteland with nothing but dusty hills and the endless void above it. Stormclouds would occasionally roll over the horizon, and wind would blow sand across the red planes, if not then the atmosphere-lacking sky provided a clear view into the glittering cosmos above the harsh climate of Mars.

It was.. Beautiful. Dangerous. And so, so big; much bigger than the crew who had volunteered. 

They had been _well_ aware of the risks they were taking. They’d prepared in every physical aspect for the journey, but there was nothing Kai Smith longed for more at that moment than that he’d listened closer to the whole “space does not cooperate” lesson. He _should_ have listened, taken it closer to heart, but he didn’t. He didn’t expect the mission to go this horribly wrong, and now he was suffering the consequences. 

He was all but panicking. To say this wasn’t how the red-suited young man thought his Sol 19 would start was an _incredible_ exaggeration. From waking up with a spinning head and agonizingly aching side as well as a computerized voice informing him of an unstable air pressure, to sitting up, struggling with his duct tape to cover up the small crack in his helmet, to gathering his bearings... and discovering in utter horror the unmoving _body_ just meters away from him, and finally to where he was now, breathing a complete sigh of relief when he discovered the faint but existent rise and fall of the figure’s chest. 

Cole was _alive_ .. but terribly injured. Lodged in his side was an antenna from one of the pieces of debris that’d struck the two. Kai couldn’t look at it for too long without feeling nauseous. Obviously, he was unable to treat it out here... He had to get Cole back to the Hab. How the hell was he supposed to do that? He had no idea, but he _had_ to try. 

First thing that came to mind was dragging him back. Cole had to have had at least twice as much body mass as Kai, but goddamn if his minimal strength wouldn’t be able to pull him then his adrenaline would suffice. Heart thudding and mumbling a long string of curses under his breath, he looped his arms under Cole’s shoulders and shuffled back toward the Hab - only to be stopped abruptly by the cord on the antenna still attached to the satellite dish. 

“ _FUCK_ ,” blurted Kai, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as he lowered his friend gently to hurry and clip the cord with a loud, “SORRY, COLE...”

He was sweating _bullets_ . It felt like a centennial before they were even halfway there, and Kai was starting to run out of breath. Fucking hell.. of _course_ it was the bigger, stronger one of the two that had been mortally injured. Just Kai’s luck, right?! For a moment, he almost wished he was in Cole’s place… but then with a glance at the coagulated blood-coated wound, he, uh.. changed his mind…

Below Kai, Cole Brookestone’s head whirled. His dark ember eyes fluttered slightly as he struggled in and out of consciousness. Something excruciatingly painful throbbed in his stomach, waves of agony making him unbearably lightheaded. His body felt like dead weight, almost numb aside from his stomach, and all his blurry, doubled vision allowed him to see through his helmet was the dark starry sky above. 

“K-Kai..?” His voice was strained through gritted teeth. 

“Cole!” Kai about dropped him again, and Cole’s helmet thudded against the ground with a thud. Eyes wide, he breathed, “Shit, sorry!” as he moved to Cole’s side.

“Wh..wha... What.. happened..” As he sat up, Cole let out a high pained groan, his voice muffled through both helmets. He was hyperventilating, his heavy breath fogged slightly against the glass.

“I-I don’t know, we need to get you to the Hab, now,” Kai answered through breaths, slipping his shoulder under Cole’s arm to help him slowly stand. Cole clutched his side gently, an agonized whimper escaping his dark lips. 

They stumbled closer. The wound throbbed, stung. His legs felt like jelly and some moments Kai was the only reason he was still standing. When they finally got to the bulkhead door, Cole had to fumble for the latch, eyes half-lidded and sweat beading down his face, before Kai opened it for them and repressurized the airlock for them when they’d stepped inside. When they’d entered into the Hab, Cole about tore off his helmet to access and remove top layers of his suit, letting out the occasional soft cry whenever he’d move the antenna the wrong way, until he was in his endosuit. 

Kai had only pulled off his own helmet before he helped Cole to the table, his heartbeat and mind still racing a thousand miles an hour. He hardly realized he’d started pacing. God, what should he do, what should he do, what should he do..?!

“Kai,” Cole grizzled through gritted teeth. Clearly the red martianaut was panicking. “I-I need you to p..pull it out..”

Kai felt the blood drain from his face. Fervently, he shook his head. “I-I’m not a medic, what if I make it worse!” he wailed, extending his pace a few more steps. 

“Just pull it straight! F-fast too, p..lease...” He rested his head on the back of the chair with a strained groan. “Fucking... Quickly, like a-a bandaid.”

“You’re comparing an antenna impalement to a bandaid?!”

“Just do it please!!”

Shakily, Kai approached his injured friend and slowly closed his fingers around the antenna. Cole was staring at the ceiling, his hand making its way to Kai’s arm, trying to focus on _anything_ but the pain he was about to experience. Kai hesitated briefly, sucking in a sharp breath, before yanking the metal rod out of Cole, causing the orange martianaut to let out a short sharp scream, his hand squeezing around the red martianaut’s skin.

“Fuck, okay, uh, what now?” Kai asked, throwing the antenna aside. 

“I-I think ther-there’s something lodged inside-” groaned Cole. 

“Fuck me! Are you kidding?!” the red martianaut clutch his chest with his free hand, starting to hyperventilate again.

“Get the damn medkit.. scissors and.. ketorolac.. a-a pair of tweezers.. And for f..fuck’s sake, Kai stop p-panicking, you’re making me panic!”

“Okayokayokay!” Kai hurried to retrieve the items, returning swiftly. He pulled open the medkit and grabbed the scissors to rip open Cole’s endosuit, pulling it down past the bleeding wound. Staring at the small hole in Cole’s side was starting to make him feel nauseated. 

“ _Tweezers_!” Cole reminded, clutching Kai’s arm again. 

“R-Right!” He picked up the pair as Cole took it upon himself to inject the ketorolac around the injury, before continuing to guide his friend.

“O-okay, now open it with your fingers and-”

“WHAT?!”

“Just d-do it, Kai!”

Hand quivering, he did so, breathing shakily. He felt sick looking at it. Cole’s expression contorted with the tremendous pain that came with it, but stifled back his cry as to not alarm the red martianaut more.

“D-do you see it?”

Kai, a revolted look on his face, nodded. 

“T-take the tweezers and-and grab it, pull it out…”

Muttering a long chain of curses, he carefully pinched the tweezers around the tiny metallic chunk. 

“G-got it?”

“Do you need something to bite down on?”

“No.. no, just pull, I-I’ll be f..ine..”

Kai locked his eyes back on the wound, readying himself, before slowly tugging the metal out. He was sure his face was white as a ghost’s. He’d probably have to hurl after this. When he’d lifted it out of the wound, Cole wasted no time grabbing the skin stapler from the kit, pinching the injury together and closing the wound with it. He dropped the stapler on the table and fell limp, breathing more steadily.

“Fuck..”

“Fuck is right... You’re.. you’re gonna be fine, right Cole..? You’re gonna be alright?”

“I’m gonna be fine, Kai...” Cole breathed a sigh, as did Kai. The red martianaut rubbed his face.

“Fucking hell… I’m never gonna look at Operation the same way again..”

Cole wheezed a weak laugh.  
  


\---------------------------

  
  
  


**Beep.**

“..Okay.. okay… Hello.. This is.. Cole Brookestone, astronaut-”

“Kai Smith as well.”

“Yes, Kai too. We’re.. Uh, entering this log for the record.. In case we don’t make it… It is, oh.. Pff, 6:53, on Sol 19, and… we’re alive. I mean- obviously.. But, I’m guessing that’ll come as a surprise to our crewmates… and to NASA.”

“And to the entire world, really,” Kai called from the back. “Surpriiiise. We did not die on Sol 18.” The red-clad young man rested a hand on Cole’s shoulder, holding the (PR-cleaned) antenna to the camera. “Best we can guess, this length of our primary communications antenna broke off and tore through this guy’s bio-monitor.”

“And.. ripped a hole in me as well,” Cole added. “But the antenna, and the-the blood really, uh, managed to seal the breach in my suit. As for Kai, although his helmet had a minor crack that he had to seal, he made it out with only a couple hurting bruises-”

“I’m pretty sure my entire bicep’s black and blue,” Kai whined.

“He just has to keep moving it and we’ll both be fine. We’re alive, even though the crew must’ve thought we were dead.”

“At the moment we have no way to contact NASA, and even if we could it’s gonna be.. four years? Was it? Before a manned mission can reach us? And we’re in a Hab designed to last thirty-one days. If the oxygenator breaks, we’re gonna suffocate, if the water reclaimer breaks, we’re gonna thirst, if the Hab breaches, we’re gonna kinda, uh, implode…”

“And if by some miracle none of that happens.. eventually, we’re gonna run out of food,” Cole concluded. "So… yeah..”

The two martianauts slowly met each other’s eyes, sharing a lasting hopeless look as Cole clicked off the recording.


End file.
